Thursday, November 21, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

In Brief

LAS VEGAS

Ex-LV officer pleads

guilty to drug charges

A former Las Vegas officer accused of possessing illegal drugs has entered a guilty plea to two drug charges.

Sean Curd, 29, appeared before District Judge Donald Mosley on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to charges of being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance, Clark County prosecutor Bernie Zadrowski said.

Curd, a seven-year police veteran and training officer, was arrested in February after a January visit to his Henderson home by his police supervisors. According to police, the supervisors found Curd shaking in bed and unable to lift his head.

The supervisors summoned an ambulance for Curd, and narcotics officers called to the scene discovered cocaine, steroids and the club drug Ketamine scattered around the house.

Tests later showed that Curd had the chemical components of cocaine in his system, according to police. Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller subsequently fired Curd in May.

LAS VEGAS

UNLV enrollment

increases 5 percent

Enrollment at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas jumped more than 5 percent in the fall to almost 25,000 students, school officials said.

"We have been posting spectacular growth over the past several years, but this fall's figures surpassed any we have seen in recent years," UNLV President Carol Harter said.

This fall, 24,965 students are enrolled at UNLV, an increase of 5.7 percent, said Tom Flagg, a school spokesman. The school's full-time equivalent enrollment jumped to 17,777, a 9.5 percent increase. The full-time equivalent figure is reached by using a formula including the number of total students and the number of credits the students take.

Harter called the enrollment increase, combined with state budget cuts, a "significant challenge."

"Despite base budget cuts and additional unfunded costs, we have filled the classrooms and provided the services students require," she said. "At the same time, we are facing a significant challenge. UNLV welcomed 1,347 new students just this fall."

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Motorcycle accident

caused man's death

A man found dead in his driveway Monday had assured two people that he was all right after a motorcycle crash in North Las Vegas, police reported.

The mystery of 64-year-old Howard Davis' death was settled Wednesday when an autopsy by the Clark County coroner's office revealed the victim's fatal wounds were consistent with a traffic accident, North Las Vegas police Lt. Paul Womack said.

Davis was discovered dead in the driveway of his home at 1235 Heather Ridge Road, near Ann Road and Camino Al Norte, at 6:49 a.m., police reported.

Hours earlier, he had wrecked his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, striking a steel fence while traveling northbound on Simmons Street, north of Craig Road, Womack said. Two people stopped to help Davis and followed him as he drove home.

"He said, `Thank you,' " Womack said. "He said, `I'll be OK. I've got a headache, but I'll be OK.' "

HENDERSON

Woman dies after

being hurt in crash

A woman died Wednesday after a morning accident at the intersection of St. Rose Parkway and Seven Hills Drive-Spencer Street in Henderson.

The victim tried to make a left turn onto Spencer Street about 8:45 a.m. and ventured into the path of an oncoming vehicle, Henderson police reported.

The cross street is called Seven Hills south of the intersection, and Spencer north of it.

The woman, whose identity was withheld, was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, where she died, police said.

The driver of the other vehicle, Matthew Medina, 24, was treated and released at the hospital.

The crash is still under investigation.

Authorities believe some witnesses might have seen the accident, and anyone with information is urged to call Henderson police at 616-8390.

ELKO

Bailey named Nevada

rancher of the year

A longtime rancher in Elko and Eureka counties has been named Nevada's rancher of the year for his efforts to jointly benefit cattle, watersheds and wildlife on public lands.

Wilfred Bailey still works the Bailey Home Ranch that his grandfather homsteaded in 1863. He was selected for the award by the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, the Nevada Farm Bureau, the Nevada Division of Agriculture and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The 832-acre Bailey ranch is home to 500 cattle and produces 500 tons of alfalfa hay a year. He also has federal grazing permits covering three allotments -- the North Diamond and Union Mountain allotments managed by BLM's Battle Mountain field office and the Red Rock allotment managed by the Elko field office.